Mahmoud Etebari - Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Isfahan Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Behzad Zolfaghari - Department of Pharmacognosy, Isfahan Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
Abbas Jafarian-Dehkordi - Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Isfahan Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Afsaneh Mirzaei - Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Isfahan Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.

Ziziphus jujuba Mill (ZJ), which has been extensively used by the Iranian traditional healers, belongs to the Ramnaceae family. This semitropical herb contains large quantities of polyphenols and flavonoids, which in turn reveal antioxidant, antibacterial, free radical scavengering, and several other pharmacological activities. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the DNA damage prevention potential of hydroalcoholic and polyphenolic extracts of Ziziphus jujuba on HepG۲ cells. Throughout the assessment of genoprotective properties, cells were incubated with various concentrations of hydroalcoholic (۰.۱, ۱, ۱۰, and ۵۰ µg/ml) and polyphenolic extracts (۰.۱ and ۱ µg/ml) for a one-hour period, followed by a one-hour incubation period with genotoxic concentration of methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) (۱۰ µM). The comet assay method was applied because of its being attributable to the substantial sensitivity, its inexpensiveness, and its straightforward procedure of use. The tail length, percentage of DNA in tail, and tail moment were measured. Statistical analysis revealed that concentrations of ۱۰ μg/ml for hydroalcoholic extract and ۱μg/ml for polyphenolic extract were genoprotective against MMS. Therefore, our results suggest that Ziziphus jujuba at suitable doses can prevent DNA damage.

Ziziphus Jujuba, Genoprotective effect, HepG۲, Comet Assay.